About the job

Job summary

In DHSC, we are proud of our purpose – to enable everyone to live more independent, healthier lives for longer. To achieve this, and create a great place to work, we have four values: we are inclusive, we constantly improve, we challenge, and we are agile. If this sounds like an environment you’d like to work in, we’d love to hear from you.

The Adult Social Care (ASC) Group in DHSC leads on all matters relating to adult social care in the department. Putting social care on a sustainable footing so that it meets the demands of an ageing population, and everyone is treated with dignity and respect, is one of the biggest challenges that our society faces. The government has a 10-year vision to reform adult social care and make it fit for the future – you can find out more in the People at the Heart of Care white paper, published in December 2021.

Diversity and inclusion are two of our biggest priorities and we recognise they are a work in progress. We aim to establish a workforce which reflects the society we serve, and DHSC welcomes applications from all. We are especially interested to hear from gender diverse, disabled, LGBTQ+ candidates, care leavers and candidates from underrepresented ethnic backgrounds, including Black, Asian, mixed and other ethnic groups. We also welcome applications from people with experience of social care, such as working in the sector, being an unpaid carer, or drawing on services. People with lived experience help us improve outcomes, reduce inequalities, and become a more inclusive place to work.

The Adult Social Care Briefing team which drafts and coordinates cross cutting briefing for the Adult Social Care Group. We are looking for a Briefing & Parliamentary Business Officer to join our high-performing, inclusive, supportive, and agile team. We pride ourselves on our creativity, team spirt, personal and professional development. We work collaboratively across Adult Social Care Group to ensure the government has a cohesive, up to date, and joined-up approach to external communications and Parliamentary business.

Job description

As part of the Adult Social Care Briefing team, you will support the development and coordination of briefing and Parliamentary business on behalf of the Adult Social Care Group. The team has a wide remit that involves developing and co-ordinating briefing material for the Minister of State for Social Care, the Secretary of State for Health & Social Care, along with other ministers and senior officials. This includes:

• Developing comprehensive Parliamentary debate packs for ministers
• Compiling quality and timely responses to ministerial correspondence
• Writing speeches for events and conferences
• Coordinating ministerial meetings and producing briefings 
• Responding to urgent requests from the media team on live news stories

For each of these, you will lead on timely responses which will require you to collaborate with multiple teams across Social Care Group and the wider department. You will need to collect the most accurate, up-to-date policy information, and then organise it to construct coherent and compelling responses to different types of commissions. You will often need to balance a varied workload across a number of often high-profile priorities.

This is a high profile and very cross-cutting role, spanning the entirety of adult social care policy, providing the postholder with a fantastic opportunity to be right at the heart of a major government priority area. This is a fast paced, stretching, autonomous and highly visible role that offers an excellent opportunity to develop relationships with senior stakeholders internally, across DHSC, other government departments, and with Minsters’ Private Offices.

We make a strong commitment to personal development and career progression for all our colleagues. You will receive training in line with your responsibilities, while working in an inclusive team where you will be supported to develop wider skills that will help you progress in your career, not just in this role.

Person specification

The role will involve:

• Leading on briefings and key strategic documents for ministers and senior officials on key issues, including high-priority Parliamentary activity.
• Managing the Adult Social Care Briefing inbox, responding to queries and requests from across the Group and wider Department.
• Communicating complex issues clearly and concisely to wider departmental colleagues, stakeholders, and the public, quickly distilling salient information from a range of sources.
• Working with policy colleagues to draft new briefing material for ministers and senior officials for new announcements and reactive news stories.
• Working effectively with stakeholders across the Social Care Group and other government departments across Whitehall.
• Planning and identifying risks in a fast-paced team to effectively manage work across the team, particularly in the face of changing priorities and timelines.
• Building relationships as you work alongside colleagues across your team and the wider group to help both the Social Care Group and DHSC meet its corporate priorities.
• Proactively looking for ways to continuously change and improve the briefing process and team ways of working.

Key skills and experience required for the role

Applicants should be able to demonstrate: 

• Strong written communication skills, including experience interpreting, condensing, and simplifying complex information.
• Ability to review and critique written documents to a high standard, promptly and accurately.
• Working flexibly on quickly changing priorities, assessing the importance of different pieces of work and collaborating with colleagues to deliver results.
• Building and maintaining constructive relationships with other colleagues and stakeholders, including those who do not always agree with you, using these relationships to achieve good outcomes.
• Taking the initiative to drive forward work that you are responsible for.
• Strong organisational skills to manage tasks to deadlines, involving relevant stakeholders across the team and beyond.
• Being able to work to short, external deadlines and being self-motivating on work with longer deadlines.
• How your previous experience to date can be applied to this role.

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £32,188, Department of Health and Social Care contributes £8,690 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

Things you need to know

Selection process details

This vacancy is using Success Profiles (opens in a new window), and will assess your Behaviours, Strengths and Experience.

Sift date: expected W/C 19/02/2024

Interview date: expected W/C 04/03/2024

Interview location: By video. Further details will be released to candidates who are successful at sift. 

The available interview slots will be released with the sift scores. 

Applications will be sifted on CV, Statement of Suitability and Behaviours.

Please use your CV to set out your career history, highlighting specific responsibilities and achievements that are relevant for this role. These can be found in the ‘key skills and experience required for the role’ section of the advert.

Please use your Statement of Suitability to (in no more than 500 words) outline how you meet the key skills and experience required for the role as set out in the job advert. 

Please complete statements on the specified Behaviours (250 word max per statement).

Further details around what this will entail are listed on the application form.

An initial sift based on Statement of Suitability may be held if a large number of applications are received. Candidates who pass the initial sift may be progressed to a full sift or progressed straight to assessment/interview.

At interview candidates will be assessed on Behaviours and Strengths.

To find out more about working in the department please visit our page on the Civil Service Careers Website here and to find out more information on how to apply visit the Civil Service Careers Website here 

Further Information

Applicants who are appointable but were not successful in appointment to this vacancy, may be held on a reserve list for up to 12 months, and contacted if similar vacancies become available. 

Please be aware that some travel may be required across the DHSC estate. 

Please note that applicants will require BPSS clearance. 

Any move to DHSC from another employer will mean you can no longer access childcare vouchers. This includes moves between government departments. You may however be eligible for other government schemes, including Tax Free Childcare. Determine your eligibility at https://www.childcarechoices.gov.uk

Reasonable Adjustment

If a person with disabilities is put at a substantial disadvantage compared to a non-disabled person, we have a duty to make reasonable changes to our processes. 

If you need a change to be made so that you can make your application, you should: 

Contact Government Recruitment Service via dhscrecruitment.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk as soon as possible before the closing date to discuss your needs. 

Complete the ‘Assistance required’ section in the ‘Additional requirements’ page of your application form to tell us what changes or help you might need further on in the recruitment process. For instance, you may need wheelchair access at interview, or if you’re deaf, a Language Service Professional.

If successful and transferring from another Government Department a criminal record check may be carried out.

In order to process applications without delay, we will be sending a Criminal Record Check to Disclosure and Barring Service on your behalf.

However, we recognise in exceptional circumstances some candidates will want to send their completed forms direct. If you will be doing this, please advise Government Recruitment Service of your intention by emailing Pre-EmploymentChecks.grs@cabinetoffice.gov.uk stating the job reference number in the subject heading.

New entrants are expected to join on the minimum of the pay band.

Applicants who are successful at interview will be, as part of pre-employment screening, subject to a check on the Internal Fraud Database (IFD). This check will provide information about employees who have been dismissed for fraud or dishonesty offences. This check also applies to employees who resign or otherwise leave before being dismissed for fraud or dishonesty had their employment continued. Any applicant’s details held on the IFD will be refused employment. 

A candidate is not eligible to apply for a role within the Civil Service if the application is made within a 5 year period following a dismissal for carrying out internal fraud against government.

If you are experiencing accessibility problems with any attachments on this advert, please contact the email address in the 'Contact point for applicants' section.

This role is being advertised on a permanent basis. If preferable, Loan or Secondment options will also be available for existing Civil Servants (Loan) and applicants from accredited NDPBs or any other employer (Secondment). Prior agreement to be released on a loan basis must be obtained before commencing the application process. In the case of Civil Servants, the terms of the loan will be agreed between the home and host department and the Civil Servant. This includes grade on return.

Terms and Conditions

Candidates should note that DHSC’s Terms and Conditions of employment changed from 1 October 2013. It is the candidate’s responsibility to ensure they are aware of the terms and conditions they will adopt should they be successful. 

New Entrants to the Civil Service

New entrants appointed in grades AA to G6 will receive DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions:

• Annual Leave: 25 days on entry rising by one day for each completed year of service to a maximum of 30 days and pro-rata for part-time staff
• Privilege Leave: 1 day - for the King’s birthday
• Hours of Work: 37 hours (net) per week for full time staff in all geographical locations, including London and pro rata for part-time staff
• Occupational Sick Pay (OSP): one month full pay/one month half pay on entry, rising by one month for each completed year of service to a maximum of five months’ full pay and five months’ half pay
• Mobility: Mobility clause in contracts allow staff to be mobile across the Civil Service
• Probation: 6 month probation period

Existing Civil Service staff transferring from another Government department, on either level transfer or promotion

All staff moving to DHSC will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above). 

Existing DHSC staff, appointed on either level transfer or promotion

If DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions are already held, the employee will retain those terms and conditions. If DHSC’s pre-modernised terms and conditions are held, the employee will transfer onto DHSC’s modernised terms and conditions (as outlined above).

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.

Security

Successful candidates must undergo a criminal record check. People working with government assets must complete baseline personnel security standard (opens in new window) checks.

Nationality requirements

This job is broadly open to the following groups:

• UK nationals
• nationals of the Republic of Ireland
• nationals of Commonwealth countries who have the right to work in the UK
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities with settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS) (opens in a new window)
• nationals of the EU, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein and family members of those nationalities who have made a valid application for settled or pre-settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme (EUSS)
• individuals with limited leave to remain or indefinite leave to remain who were eligible to apply for EUSS on or before 31 December 2020
• Turkish nationals, and certain family members of Turkish nationals, who have accrued the right to work in the Civil Service

Further information on nationality requirements (opens in a new window)

Working for the Civil Service

The Civil Service Code (opens in a new window) sets out the standards of behaviour expected of civil servants.

We recruit by merit on the basis of fair and open competition, as outlined in the Civil Service Commission's recruitment principles (opens in a new window). The Civil Service embraces diversity and promotes equal opportunities. As such, we run a Disability Confident Scheme (DCS) for candidates with disabilities who meet the minimum selection criteria. The Civil Service also offers a Redeployment Interview Scheme to civil servants who are at risk of redundancy, and who meet the minimum requirements for the advertised vacancy.